Salford Social Media surgery is a FREE event for those in the community and voluntary sector. You can speak to experts and get advice and tips on how social media can help your organisation.

Salford Social Media surgery is an initiative of Manchester Net Squared – a volunteer-led collective of people who aim to support those making social change with easy technology.

Sign up to attend and find out more

Visit the Social Media Surgery website to find out more and sign up to attend, and keep updated by following the #slcsms hashtag on Twitter.

The conference will focus on the themes supporting the SAVE ENERGY project – Increasing energy efficiency in public buildings through ICT.

It will bring together a diverse group of policymakers from the EU and municipality level, researchers, project partners and media. The conference will review the project white paper, discuss current and emerging policy issues, introduce the SAVE ENERGY pilot building applications and provide a comprehensive picture of the project’s best practices.

The main themes of the event

• Increasing Energy efficiency in public buildings through ICT
• Living Lab Methodology
• User behavior transformation, serious games

Who should attend the Conference?

• Policy makers, municipality representatives
• Researchers from universities, businesses, non-profit and other organizations
• Corporate/business representatives, clean tech, building automation, energy service companies, technology designers
• Others involved/interested in the themes of the conference
• Media

For more information on the conference please visit the SAVE ENERGY website.

If you’re interested in the arts, culture or just excited by the opportunity to represent the Festival and Manchester, then the Festival team would like to hear from you. To find out more about the Volunteer Programme, come and see us at Manchester Art Gallery (Mosley Street entrance) on Sunday 27th March 2011 from 11am-3pm or visit www.mif.co.uk/work-with-us/volunteering.

In 2009, over 300 volunteers provided invaluable support to the Festival. Volunteers commented:

“I’ve had the time of my life and I’ll gladly do it again.”

“I thought that volunteering at the festival was a really positive experience and something that I will
be telling everyone about. It was so exciting to be part of something that highlights Manchester
and getting to meet lots of friendly, like-minded people, made me remember why I love
Manchester so much!”

Volunteer Coordinator Caroline Birnie adds, “Volunteering offers countless benefits and it’s a great way to share skills and to learn new ways of working. It also offers the chance to meet people and to experience, first-hand, the build-up to productions which will be world-premiered in Manchester.”

Alex Kanellis, PZ Cussons CEO says, “We are delighted to support the volunteer programme for the 2011 Manchester International Festival. After seeing the success of the 2009 programme and how it benefited volunteers from across the region and all walks of life, we didn’t hesitate to take up the opportunity to sponsor it for a second time. PZ Cussons has a strong history with Manchester and the Northwest and we tend to partner with organisations who share our own values and who have a positive impact in the region. We therefore feel that working with the MIF, and the volunteer programme in particular, is a perfect partnership and one of which we are proud. We are confident that the 2011 Volunteer programme will be as successful as the last and we look forward to sharing in the fun that we hope all those who volunteer will experience.”

The full programme will be announced on March 17 at Manchester’s Museum of Science and Industry. Three shows are onsale now: visit www.mif.co.uk for more info.

Internationally recognised business thinker, author and speaker Alf Rehn argues that organisations’ effort to develop a culture of creative thinking have turned creativity into an uncreative, pale imitation of itself.

In Dangerous Ideas, Alf Rehn makes a case for individuals and organisations to “shock themselves into change” by stepping out of their comfort zone:

“I’ve worked all over the globe on issues of creativity and innovation, trying to coax people out of too comfortable and traditional views. Now, Manchester is known as a creative city, and Cornerhouse is justly famous as a creative hub and a hothouse of ideas, and I look forward to raising these issues in this context.

What I believe is that while the discussion on the creative economy is one of the more important ones for our age, we must do a lot more than merely treating creativity as some cute and fuzzy set of pleasant ideas that can be easily integrated into existing structures. Instead, I feel we need to re-discover creativity as a radical force – one which may well evoke feelings of danger and the unseemly rather than having people lazily nodding along.

In other words, creativity as grime and punk rather than muzak, and what better place to bring this out than Cornerhouse?”

Where and when?

You can find out more about, or  book tickets for this event, at Cornerhouse, 10 March at 6:30pm. Get involved by using the hashtag #RehnMCR.

Thinking of a career in the creative sectors?

Looking for the opportunity to develop your creative skills?

Want more information about the creative industries?

Then come to the creative careers event at the Holden Gallery, Manchester Metropolitan University, Cavendish St, Manchester M15 6BR on Wednesday 9th February 10am – 3pm. Admission is free.

Register for the Event

To register for the event, request information or book workshop places contact: Elayne Holt or Jess Zadik on tel: 0161 277 1880. e-mail: e.holt@manchester.gov.uk, j.zadik@manchester.gov.uk

You can also call, text or leave a mobile message: Frank Connell on mobile: 07595 278 201. e-mail: f.connell@manchester.gov.uk or book online at www.creativecareersevent2.eventbrite.com

Further information

Exhibitors – 30+ creative businesses and organisations each with table space for showcasing opportunities.

Digital Café – MDDA will be organising a digital lounge where you can come and check your email, see some cool things on the internet or chat to someone about careers in the digital industries. If you work in the digital industries and want to pop down for an hour or so to say hello, or maybe chat to attendees at the event, please email Adrian Slatcher (A.slatcher@manchesterdda.com) (holden side gallery)

Lectures – Opportunities in the creative industries (hourly)

Tours of the Manchester School of Art – hosted by student ambassadors, 30 – 40 minute tour of facilities and studios. (max 15 per ambassador)

Workshops

Hands on making experiences delivered by the Manchester School of Art:

1. Make a statement – Using mixed materials and your imagination, make a wearable statement on creativity and the future (this workshop will involve participants using simple analogue and digital technologies, bringing the two together to construct wearable objects). 1 hour session, max 15
2. Tell your story – Develop your digital expertise with help from the school of art. Participants will explore creative software and digital imaging to create their own “story in an image” of themselves. 1 hour session, max 15
3. A stitch in time – Design your own label and see it produced. Using state of the art technology in textile production, have your own designer label digitally printed to take away. 1 hour session, max 15
4. Quick on the draw – Explore mark making in a range of media, develop your confidence and find your voice! Participants will use everyday media (and large pieces of paper) to explore the use of line and tone in relation to text. 1 hour session, 15 max

If you are a voluntary or community sector organisation, freelancer or creative who would like to know more about “digital technology” and how it can help your work or your organisation it can sometimes be difficult to know where to go for advice and support.

Yet Manchester has a wide range of digital communities – from programmers, to social media specialists to digital content producers – who meet up regularly to share good practice.

Connecting 2.0 Communities give’s anyone in the not-for-profit sector an opportunity to meet these digital communities – many of whom are happy to provide free advice and support, and would like to work more with community groups.

Watch a video of the First Connecting 2.0 Communities event here.

What you will find out…

At this free to attend “drop in” event there will be an opportunity to :-

- get a one-to-one advice session about your own particular digital needs
- find out more about Manchester’s many “user groups” and informal meet-ups
- hear short introductions about key topics and about other opportunities in the city

Registration

Registration is online at http://c2cnovember.eventbrite.com

Where and when does it take place…

The event takes place on Wednesday 17th November from 2.00-6.30pm at the Madlab (Manchester Digital Laboratory), at 36-40 Edge Street, Manchester, M4 1HN, in the Northern Quarter (opp. Common Bar) Drop in any time after 2.00 – either stay for a short time, or stay all afternoon.

2.00-4.30 Drop in any time you want

4.30-5.30 Panel discussion on Social Media

5.30-5.45 Questions to the panel

5.45-6.30 Drop in Continues

Why register…

It’s a drop-in so you don’t have to book a place to attend, but if you do, we can send you an update on the lineup, and also you can let us know if you have any access requirements. The drop-in is on the ground floor of Madlab, but the presentations may take place on the 2nd floor and there is no lift, so please let us know if this is a problem so that we can make arrangements accordingly.

I can’t come for the whole event…

We’ve arranged the event to be as flexible as possible. If you want to come at 2.00 and stay all afternoon, or come at 6.00 for the last half hour that’s absolutely fine. The city centre location means that if you are passing through town after work then you can pop in. So don’t worry if you’re not able to come for the whole afternoon.

It sounds great, but I’m busy that day…

We will be running a further Connecting 2.0 Communities event at Madlab in late January.

Our Digital Experts

Guy Lancaster, MMU Web Angels http://www.hlss.mmu.ac.uk/idea/webangels/

Alastair Beech, Freelance http://alistairbeech.posterous.com

Adrian Slatcher & Alan Holding, MDDA http://www.manchesterdda.com

Nigel Barlow, Inside the M60 http://insidethem60.journallocal.co.uk

Paul Webster, NAVCA http://www.ictchampions.org.uk

Guy Dickinson, Participo http://www.participo.com/

Kate Fox, SoundDelivery http://www.sounddelivery.org.uk

Dan Davies, http://www.mashedfestivals.com

This wide ranging group of experts can advise on a range of social media and web issues – and help you find out how free and easy to use online tools can help you and your organisation.

Need to find out more

For more information contact Adrian Slatcher (a.slatcher@manchesterdda.com)

Find out more about MADLAB (http://www.madlab.org.uk)

We’ve also set up a Connecting 2.0 Communities group on the Social Media Cafe Manchester Ning. We’ll add new resources here when they become available.

Who has organised it?

This event is funded by the Working Neighbourhoods Fund and run on behalf of Manchester City Council. It has been organised by Manchester Digital Development Agency in partnership with Manchester Digital Laboratory (Madlab). Many thanks to all the digital organisations who have agreed to attend to make this event happen.

An introduction to the Twitter phenomenon from Tom Stables, with insights into how businesses are using this medium to hook new customers and build brand loyalty. Tom will also be demonstrating a live Twitter session for those unfamiliar with the hows and whys of this platform.

Social Media: What’s All the Noise

Bruce Thomas is the MD of modern-english, one of the UK’s leading social media development agencies. Working mainly with entertainment brands across the UK, modern-english have recently been appointed as the English Cricket Board’s social media agency delivering new ways cricket fans to engage with the sport. Bruce will enlighten you as to the power of social media by mainly looking at Facebook and ways to build a successful user network who engage with your brand. He will also discuss application-led media and mobile applications.

Social Media and How It All Links In

Dan Sodergren is the founder of Great Marketing Works and is Innospace’s own start up marketing specialist. Having been there, see it and done it with many different marketing mediums, award winning companies, Dan has helped over 2000 businesses start up successfully with his intergrated marketing approach. Dan is here to help you get a feel of how social media might work inside your marketing plan to show how Linkedin could make a huge difference to your business practice

Timetable

1.45pm – Arrive
2.00pm – Twitter and the Power of the Tweet
2.30pm – Twitter Q&A
3.00pm – Social Media: What’s All the Noise?
3.30pm – Social Media Q&A
4.00pm – Social Media and How It All Links In
4.30pm – LinkedIn Q&A
5.00pm – Networking
5.20pm – End

Location

Innospace, 47 Chorlton Street, Manchester, M1 3FY (map)

Register

To register for this FREE event please visit the Event Bright page.

Each event features a panel of experienced digital and social media marketers who discuss social media projects and issues presented by the audience.

The informal networking events offer an opportunity to find out how other companies are benefitting from using free social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to market and grow their businesses.

The next Manchester Social Media Surgery event is on Tuesday 26 October from 5:30-7:30pm at Manchester Digital Development Agency (MDDA) offices, Lower Ground Floor, 117-119 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 6ED.

The theme for the October Social Media Surgery is: ‘Getting LinkedIn for Business‘

Social Media Surgeons confirmed so far:
Ben Gibbs, (@bobop on Twitter), Web & social media consultant to third sector organisations
Alan Holding, Digital Development officer, MDDA
Coral Grainger, (@CapitalRels on Twitter), Managing Director, Capital Relations.
Tom Mason, (@totmac on Twitter), Social Media Manager, Delineo.

Community groups curious about using social media most welcome.

Manchester Social Media Surgery events are organised by Chi-chi Ekweozor, (@realfreshtv on Twitter), director of Real Fresh TV, the social media training and implementation consultancy, as an outreach project of the popular Social Media Cafe Manchester network (@smc_mcr on Twitter).

We’re also on LinkedIn!
If you have a question for the surgeons either post it via the event sign up page or on our new LinkedIn Group!
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3120264&goback=%2Eanh_3120264&trk=NUS_UNIU-ngroup

Sign up to attend

http://socialmediamanchester.ning.com/events/october-manchester-social

About the Event Organiser

Real Fresh TV provides social media consultancy, training and implementation support on digital projects in the region. Recent clients include Contact Theatre Manchester, Junction K and Xyone. Need help with social media marketing? Contact us http://www.realfresh.tv/

If you’re a community or voluntary group in Manchester and want to learn more about using free and low cost online services to get things done, then why not come along to one of MDDA’s FREE morning web workshops, running once a month from October 2010 to March 2011.

You don’t need to be a technical whizz to benefit from these friendly, practical, hands-on sessions.

You’ll learn about ways to communicate to a wider audience, share information in a better ways and some new tools and techniques that you can start using straight away at no extra cost apart from your time.

What you’ll learn…

• How to use Dropbox – an “online USB memory stick” – to store your documents online, access them from anywhere and share them with other people
• How to use Google Forms to create contact forms for your website and simple online surveys
• What RSS feeds are and how to use them for research and faster news gathering
• Google search trips and tricks to help you find information quicker
• How to use the blogging service Posterous to blog via email
• How to edit photos online directly in your web browser without needing extra software
• Common keyboard shortcuts on Windows PCs and Macs
• How text expansion programs can save you typing time
• …and a few more as time permits!

Each workshop will be three hours long with a 30 minute break for refreshments half-way through. We’ll spend 15-20 minutes on each subject.

Feel free to bring along a laptop and use MDDA’s free high speed broadband connection during the workshop.

If you don’t want to bring a laptop, we’ll have some available for you to use, though you may need to share.

Workshop dates and times

• Tuesday 12 October 2010, 9.30am to 1pm
• Tuesday 9 November 2010, 9.30am to 1pm
• Tuesday 7 December 2010, 9.30am to 1pm
• Thursday 13 January 2011, 9.30am to 1pm
• Tuesday 1 February 2011, 9.30am to 1pm
• Tuesday 1 March 2011, 9.30am to 1pm

Venue

MDDA’s offices on Portland Street, city centre Manchester. You can find directions on MDDA’s website and a Google Map showing MDDA and travel stops is here.

Registration

If you want to register for one of these FREE workshops, please go to the event page on Eventbrite at http://mddawebworkshops.eventbrite.com.

Please note that places are limited to 15 people per session and a maximum of two people from one organisation per session.

More information

If you’d like more information about these workshops, please contact Alan Holding at MDDA by email or by phone on 0161 255 8111.

PHPNW

Where: Revolution, Arch 7, Deansgate Lock, Whitworth Street, Manchester, M1 5LH (Normally in the lounge at the back on the entrance level)
When: 7pm Tuesday 6th July 2010
What: Leveraging JavaScript in your PHP Projects – Kathryn Reeve

For more information and to sign up for the event.

Enterprise Twitter – effectively incorporating Twitter into your organisation

Date: 7th July 2010 (8:30am – 10:15am)
Venue: Peter House, Manchester, United Kingdom
Cost: £75.00

This session will look at:

• How businesses have got it wrong, and what we can learn from them
• Best practice examples of the different ways companies are successfully using Twitter
• How should Twitter be implemented internally
• Getting the most from Twitter including 3rd party applications to supercharge your account and effectively using Twitter’s API
• Reputation and monitoring your brand (and competitors) using the platform
• The future – how will Twitter evolve and what does it mean for you

Visit the website for more information and to sign up.

Exploiting Digital Tools Workshop

What: Exploiting Digital Tools Workshop
Where: Cornerhouse, Manchester
When: Thursday 08 July 2010, 9am for 9:30am kick off to 13:30

Digital tools play a key role in driving innovation in today’s creative industries. But what new tools are on the horizon and how will creative businesses harness them to drive exciting new business opportunities? The Creative Industries KTN would like to invite you to contribute and influence their latest Beacon Project, Exploiting Digital Tools, which will examine the potential these tools have to transform the creative and production processes.

For more information and to sign up for the event please visit the website.

Flashcamp Manchester

Date: 08th July
Venue: Aytoun Building, Manchester Metropolitan University
Flash Camp Manchester is a completely free event organised by the Midlands Flash Platform User Group.
Over an afternoon and evening, experts in Flash, Flex and AIR will share their knowledge through presentations and talks. Come and meet some of the Adobe team, Professionals, Community Leaders and network with fellow developers and designers.

Whether you’re just getting started with the Flash Platform, or consider yourself a pro, there’s something for you!

Full details can be found here.

NSManchester iPhone, iPad and Mac Developer MeetUp in Manchester

Date: July 12th, 2010 at 6:30 PM
Venue: MadLab, Manchester
More Information: http://nsmanchester.eventbrite.com/?ref=ecal

GeekUp Manchester

When: 18:00 Tuesday July 13 2010
Where: MadLab, 36-40 Edge Street, Manchester M4 1HN
GeekUp Manchester takes place on the second Tuesday of every month. It’s a grass-roots knowledge sharing and networking social for folks involved or interested in all forms of technology and creative media.
MadLab is a bring your own drinks / food venue but there is also an honesty bar if you come empty handed.
Like usual Paul Robinson should be collecting the USB Drives and redistributing them for GeekUp “MixTape” Shuffle.

If you plan to attend please register at Eventbrite.

Crew Networking Event

Date: 14th July 2010
Venue: The Rain Bar, 80 Great Bridgewater Street
Following the success of previous networking nights Vision+Media are inviting individuals and companies registered on Northern Exposure to another informal get together on 14th July in Manchester.
The evening will be a valuable opportunity to meet members of the Vision+Media team and network with fellow regional freelancers across all grades.

Register to attend the event

1-2-1 Marketing Surgeries

Date: 14.07.10 – 12:00 – 16:00
Venue: Waterside Arts Centre, Sale, Manchester, M33 7ZF
Cost: £15 (full), £10 (conc).

Come and discuss your work or project and get essential tips on how to get press coverage and grow your reputation. These sessions will offer advice tailored to your particular needs, so if your event or project needs an introductory marketing strategy, then this is the ideal place to start. There are five slots available.

To book, call our box office on 0161 912 5616.

Threewitter

Time: July 18, 2010 from 1pm to 5pm
Location: Madlab
Street: 36-40 Edge Street, Manchester, M4 1HN
Website: http://madlab.org.uk/

The Teawitter Party (#teawitter) is an excuse for Manchester’s lovers of things tea (and coffee!), cake and Twitter related to get together and swap tales, put names to faces and enjoy the best in home made confection! It’s a social gathering, a way to meet friends old and new, and build on the thriving tea party Twitter community!
Please note this event carries a suggested donation of £3.

http://threewitter.eventbrite.com

Dr. Roy Schestowitz, “Present and future threats to software freedom.”

Talk: Present and future threats to software freedom.
Location: The Lass O’ Gowrie’s Salmon Room (upstairs).
Address: 36 Charles Street, Manchester. M1 7DB.http://www.thelass.co.uk/
Date: Tuesday, 20th July 2010 (3rd Tuesday of the month)
Start time: 19:00
Finish time: 20:30

General information about Manchester Free Software meetings can be found on our websites.
http://groups.fsf.org/wiki/Manchester/Meetings
http://groups.fsf.org/wiki/Manchester/2010-07-20
http://manchester.fsuk.org/blog/meetings/

Fast Track Digital Marketing Training – 14/15 July

Venue: Peter House, Manchester, United Kingdom
Time: 9:30am – 4:30pm

For more information please visit http://www.manchesterdigital.com/